But many of them have been tested on animals, making them highly problematic for ethical vegans. You might assume that lab-produced artificial colors would also be vegan. If they are natural food colorings they are almost certainly made from plants (and therefore fine for vegans), with the exception of carmine (also known as cochineal), which is made from beetles. So, if you are concerned about this issue, the easiest way to guarantee that what you are purchasing hasn’t been through bone char processing is to look for either beet sugar or organic cane sugar.Īnother thing for vegans to be aware of is that many brands of gummies use food coloring. It’s very difficult to find out which cane sugars have been through this process, and which haven’t. The issue is that some cane sugar is filtered through “bone char” (in other words the charred bones of animals, normally pigs or cows).

Another issue concerns the sugar that is an essential feature of the sweet treat.Īs discussed in previous posts on this site, sugar can be a concern for vegans because of the way it is processed. However, gelatin is not the only ingredient that vegans have to look out for when selecting gummies. The pectin used in products like vegan candies normally comes from citrus fruits. Pectin is a substance that helps keep fruits fresh, when they start to go mushy it is because the pectin in them is degrading. It’s called pectin, it’s derived from plants, and it performs the same function of making the other ingredients stick together. Vegan gummy bear fans should not despair, however, as there is a vegan alternative to gelatin. The use of gelatin means that the vast majority of gummy bears are not even vegetarian, let alone vegan. Gelatin is made from collagen taken from the skin, cartilages, bones, and hooves of pigs (or sometimes from the body parts of other animals such as cows, chickens, or fish). One of the main ingredients of gummy bears is gelatin, a gelling agent which gives the sweets their chewy texture. Gummy bears don’t contain eggs or dairy, so you might imagine they would be good for vegans, right? Think again. But what about the other typical ingredients of gummy bears – are they suitable for vegans? Are gummy bears vegan?

Haribo’s candies were known as Gummibär (gummy bears) in German because of their shape and the fact that the main ingredient was gum Arabic, which comes from the acacia tree. With this new offering, the company’s success went global, and Haribo remains the biggest manufacturer of gummy bears in the world. By the 1960s, Haribo had diversified into producing a smaller version of the popular snack, the Goldbär (gold bear). The company that Hans Riegel created in 1922 to manufacture and sell his new snacks was named by combining the first two letters of his first name and surname with the city where he lived ( Hans Riegel Bonn). Much larger than the gummy bears of today, the Tanzbär was an immediate big hit in Germany. He named them Tanzbär (dancing bear in German). In the early 1920s, confectioner Hans Riegel from Bonn, Germany decided on the shape for his new candy based on his own childhood memories of watching the dancing bears. In Europe, dancing bears were a popular fairground attraction for many centuries bears on chains were forced to dance for the entertainment of festive crowds. The origins of gummy bears can be linked back to a shocking practice, which would appall anybody who cares about animals.

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